Tag: ATorchAgainsttheNight

Favourite Books of 2017! (So Far)

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I have read some pretty fantastic books this year so far, and since the month is half over I decided to share them with all of you. Listed below are the top 3 books that I read for the first time this year and really enjoyed so here they are!

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A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir – I absolutely adored her first book, An Ember in the Ashes so I was so excited to pick up the second one. This is a series that mainly followed two main characters, Laia and Elias, but now also follows a few others which I thought brought a good view on the world to the readers. It is set in a kind of Roman Empire and is action packed and filled with incredible world building. A must read and I was happily pleased by this read. 4.5/5 stars

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Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han – This is a series that you cannot help but love. It is quirky and cute, and was everything I hoped for in the final book of this trilogy. This series follows a girl named Lara Jean who writes love letters to all the boys she has loved before, but one day those letters are mysteriously sent out to them and she finds her life flipped upside down. I love, love, love this series and read this book in two days because all I wanted to do was finish it and see how it ended. 4.5/5 stars

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Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare – This is probably no surprise because I had been anticipating this book ever since I read Lady Midnight. I don’t really like explaining what the book is about, because my explanations suck considering I don’t want to spoil anything from the previous books. You do have to read most of her other books to understand some things in this story, but it is so worth it and you will be glad you did! This was definitely my favourite book of the year so far, but probably will be my favourite over all because it was that good. 5/5 stars

That is all for my favourite books of the year so far, and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Reading/Writing Update!

 

 

January 2017 Wrap Up!

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Tc-alwayssummerhis is my first wrap up of the year and luckily, I managed to complete a good amount of books!

We’ll Always Have the Summer by Jenny Han – This is the 3rd and final book in the Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy and I really enjoyed the trilogy overall. The trilogy follows Belly as she returns to the summerhouse that she has spent every summer in since she was little, with her mom, brother and her mom’s best friend who has 2 sons. We follow Belly’s summer which is filled with jealousy, romance and fun and is overall a really entertaining, fast paced read. 4/5 starsobsidian-cover5

Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout – This is the 1st book in the Lux series and follows Katy, a senior who for her last year of high school has moved to West Virginia with her mom for a fresh start. But when she moves next to a pair of unusual and different twins named Dee and Daemon Black, her entire life is flipped upside down. This was a re read, and as always I loved this book. The writing isn’t amazing or anything, but the plot is very gripping along with the cast of kickass characters! 4.5/5 starsonyx-cover-2

Onyx by Jennifer L Armentrout – This is the 2nd book in the Lux series, and I won’t say what happens because that would give away spoilers…but what I can say is that things get so twisted and knotted in this book that you start to wonder how in the world they will ever fix all these problems! I did really enjoy re reading this book and Daemon is amazing as always. 4/5 starsatorchagainstthenight_cv-4-14-687x1024

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir – This is the sequel to An Ember in the Ashes which by the way, was a fantastic book. I was really curious to see if this book would live up to the 1st book and while it was almost as amazing, it was still a flipping amazing read that I treasured so much! An Ember in the Ashes is about a girl named Laia who’s brother is one day kidnapped by the Empire, and she goes on a journey to save him. There are relationships that make your heartache and sacrifices that will leave tears in your eyes. A must read! 4.5/5 stars

Fangirfangirl_coverdec2012l by Rainbow Rowell – Fangirl is such a light hearted, relatable book that I could read over, and over, and over again. It follows a girl named Cath who is entering her first year of college with her twin sister, Wren. While Cath wants to stick close to Wren’s side, Wren wants to be wild and free, leaving Cath behind in the dust. But when Cath’s new roommate, Raegan and her ex boyfriend take Cath under their wing, she learns to dip outside her comfort zone a bit and things get interesting…Highly recommend this amazing contemporary if you haven’t read it already! 4.5/5 starseleanor%20and%20park2

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell – Again, I could read Eleanor and Park for weeks upon end, but I try to minimize it to once a year because I do like to cherish it. Anyways, Eleanor and Park follows our 2 main characters, Eleanor and Park who’s relationship starts off weird and rocky, but soon blossoms into something more. Eleanor and Park is such a heartfelt book that hits you straight in the feels! 5/5 stars

Those were all the books I managed to read this month and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Quick Writing Tips!

 

Reading/Writing Update!

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Even though this book took me a total of 7 days to read, it was so worth it because it was fantastic! I had been wanting to read A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir which is the sequel to An Ember in the Ashes, for so long and I was definitely not disappointed! Like the first book, this one took about 75 pages for me to really get into it, but when I did I didn’t want to leave this world. It was action packed and had so many moments where I sat there, gaping at the pages. It did justice to the amazing first book and I am so, so excited to read the third one later this year! Since I finished  A Torch Against the Night, I am now going to re read Fangirl because it has been about a year since I read it and it does really deserve a re read. I love Fangirl because I find it completely relatable and heart warming and I am always in a good mood after I finish it! Hopefully I can complete it before the month is over because I am 4 book behind schedule for my reading goal…

This week has also been a very productive writing week. I have written 6000 words and am really liking where my story is going! I have thought of some alternative ways I could have approached certain scenes, but for now I am going to leave things how they are because those changes can happen in the second draft. It is really important to just write rather than rewrite and even though it is hard, I am not editing whatever I wrote the pervious day, I am just writing ahead with full steam. I haven’t written since Thursday, but hopefully tomorrow I can get a few more words in!

That was my quick reading and writing update and I hope you enjoyed!

Reading/Writing Update!

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I have been sick for most of the week, but that just meant I had more time for reading! This week I managed to complete Obsidian and Onyx by Jennifer L Armentrout. These were re reads and as always, I had SO much fun reading them! If you didn’t know, the first book in the Lux series, Obsidian, is about a girl named Katy who after moving to West Virgina with her mother for a new start, meets 2 odd twins named Dee and Damon Black. After falling into a strange friendship with them, she realizes that there is more to them then she thought and her life is flipped upside down. I love Jennifer’s writing style and just how easy and light hearted it is. Re reading these 2 books were definitely what I needed reading wise and I am very satisfied. Now since I am done, I have started A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir and I am about 60 pages into it. I am enjoying it but since I am not too far into it I can’t say that it has me on the edge of my seat or anything. I only hope that it is as good as An Ember in the Ashes because that book was amazing! Anyways, I would also like to complete Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson because my contemporary kick is going strong and I know Morgan Matson won’t let me down!

For writing, I haven’t been too successful other than scratching all 7 pages of what I’ve written and re starting. I have only rewrote 1 page so far because I got hit by the flu but hopefully by Sunday I will have written another 3 pages because I have been planning a lot for my story and I am motivated to continue with it! My first 7 pages didn’t feel write to me, and I felt that I needed to start fresh after grasping a better concept of this world and these people I am creating. Now I feel totally in control and ready to get this down on paper. My school is also having a poetry contest, and first off, no I do not write poetry because I am terrible. I am not just saying that either to be modest, I truly am terrible at writing poetry but I thought I would give it a try so I will also be writing that this weekend…

That was my reading and writing update and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to check out my last post: Writing Books I Am Reading!

January 2017 Biannual Bibliothan TBR!

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If you didn’t know, the Biannual Bibliothan is a reading event that takes place in the summer and the winter and is a great way to connect with other readers over social media. There are reading challenges (which is what I will be participating in), video challenges and even challenges over Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. I wasn’t sure if I was going to participate this year but I decided to so here are the books I will be reading from January 8-14 which is when the event takes place.

  1. Throwback: Choose a Reading Challenge from a Previous Year: Re Read Your Favourite Book in a Series – For this I am going to be re reading An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir and I know there are only 2 books out at the moment but it will be part of a series. I really wanted to read the second book, A Torch Against the Night, but I feel like I should re read the first book so it is fresh in my mind for when I jump into the next one! Plus it is fantastic.
  2. Read a 2016 Release – A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir came out in Summer of 2016 so right after I finish Ember I am diving into this sequel. I am so excited to use this bibliothan as a chance to push myself to finally read this book and I know I am going to love it.
  3. Read a BookTuber Recommendation – I don’t personally know any BookTuber’s so I just watched a few recommendation videos and picked a  book from there. Since I haven’t yet finished re reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling I decided to use this as way to motivate myself to complete it!
  4. Read a Book You Were Really Excited for but Never Picked Up – I am really, really excited to read The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Adieh but I haven’t got a chance to pick it up yet so I am so pumped to give it a read this month.
  5. Read a Retelling – I am doubling up this challenge and am reading The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Adieh because it is a retelling of the story A Thousand and One Nights so it counts!
  6. Read a Diverse Book – I am also doubling up this challenge and choosing An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir because this amazing book is filled with people of colour so I am excited to read it for my challenge!

Those are the books I chose for each challenge and I hope you enjoyed! If you are interested in joining the Biannual Bibliothan than check out their YouTube channel Biannual Bibliothan for more info!

December 2016 Book Haul!

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I bought a LOT of books this month so sit tight because this is going to be a lengthy post. I won’t go into much detail about each books but I will briefly summarize each of them because their synopsis’s have me so excited to read them!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – I have already read this book, as some of you may know, and loved it so I just had to buy my very own copy. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a contemporary following a high school girl named Lara Jean who ever since she was young, has written a goodbye love letter to all the boys she had loved before. One day though, they mysteriously all get sent out and she finds herself digging a deep hole as she tries to cover up her feelings about her sister’s boyfriend, who also received a letter. I love this book and hope everyone has the chance to read it at some point!

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson – I also read this book already and just needed my own copy so I could read it whenever. I’ll Give You the Sun is also a contemporary about 2 twins, Noah and June who after being so close for so long, begin to drift apart after several different life changing events occur. This book is very raw and real and it is amazing!

Tales of the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare – I have been waiting for the bind up of these novellas for so long now and I cannot wait to devour them! These novellas take place right after the events of City of Heavenly Fire and follows Simon as he starts training at Shadowhunter Academy. I am so excited to continue reading it, because I did start it earlier this month but put it down, but I am just itching to continue on with it.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R. Tolkein – I actually got this book for free because I attended this write in writing contest and received this book which I am happy to have on my shelf. I have watched all the movies but haven’t got a chance to read or at least try reading the books yet.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo – I really loved Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo which follows a unusual group of people who are on the mission to complete an impossible task. It is very action packed and just full of amazingness and I cannot wait to read the second and final book to see what happens!

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir – Again, An Ember in the Ashes completely blew me away so I can only hope that the second one is just as good. The first book is about a girl named Laia who after she witnesses her brother being taken away by the government, sets out to save him. I am so, so excited to read Torch and want to get to it early next year.

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead – I have been slowly accumulating this series and now have the complete set! The Vampire Academy series follows Rose Hathaway who is part of a race that protects Moroi (vampires) like her best friend Lissa Dragomir. We follow the 2 of them as they attend school while trying to survive from the dangers outside and inside their school. I love Vampire Academy and cannot wait to re read the whole series!

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Adieh – I have heard great things about this book and the plot just sounds so interesting so I cannot wait to jump right into it. This book is about a girl named Shahrzad who volunteers to be the bride of a prince who every night, takes a new wife only for her to mysteriously be killed by the morning. Shahrzad volunteers in hope of avenging her friend who was the prince’s previous bride but she soon realizes things are much more complex than she thought.

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier – I have raved about this book on my blog before because it has time travel and is AMAZING. Ruby Red is about a girl named Gwen who is from a family of time travellers who every generation another is “blessed” with the gift of time traveling. Gwen’s entire family believes it is her cousin who possesses the gift but things get flipped upside down when Gwen finds herself travelling through time instead.

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – This story is so real and heart wrenching and I am so happy to be able to read it whenever. Perks follows Charlie, a boy who suffers from different mental issues all concerning his Aunt Helen who died when he was young. By everyone, he is looked upon as odd and weird but in his first year of high school meets a group of seniors who let him in. This book is so moving and needs to be read by everyone.

Those are all of the books I purchased this month and I cannot wait to read all of them! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: December 2016 Movie Reviews!

 

 

Top 5 Most Anticipated Sequels

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I cannot wait for the rest of 2016 to come because there are amazing authors coming out with amazing sequels to their previous books. This is my list of the 5 I am most anticipating in 2016 and 2017! (Not in Order) Don’t forget to comment your most anticipated sequels and check out my last post: Camp NaNoWriMo Writing Tips #2!

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir – I am SO excited for this book because An Ember in the Ashes was such a fantastic book! When I finished it I needed the sequel but sadly it’s not even out yet but it will be on August 30th of 2016! If you haven’t read An Ember in the Ashes I highly recommend it because it will blow your mind.

The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan – I love all of Rick Riordan’s books, and while the first book in this series, The Sword of Summer wasn’t my favourite, I still really liked it and cannot wait for the sequel! Also I will be meeting Rick Riordan on his fall tour of this book and I am SO excited!!!

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas – This is the 5th book in the Throne of Glass series which is definitely one of my favourite series. Sarah J Maas is such an amazing writer and her stories are always so detailed and beautiful! I haven’t read the 4th book, Queen of Shadows, yet but I am planning on reading it once Empire of Storms comes out as well which will be on September 8 of 2016!

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare – This is the second book in the Dark Artifices series which I absolutely LOVE!!! Cassandra Clare has been my favourite author ever since I read her Mortal Instruments series 3 years ago. When I read Lady Midnight, the first book in her new trilogy, I thought I couldn’t have been more blown away because it was phenomenal! Please read all her books if you haven’t because they are soooo worth it. This book is coming out sometime in April of 2017!

King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard – I really did enjoy her first book, Red Queen, and I am excited to finally get the 3rd book too! Despite the fact I haven’t read the second book…but I will, I promise! The story is just really fun and easy to read and if you haven’t read any of the two already out definitely check them out! This book will be out in stores on February 7th 2017!

Those are some sequels I am most excited for that are coming out in the next year! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂